


i went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed

by knux



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Mike Wheeler, First Kiss, Gay Will Byers, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Angst, Swimming Pools, Theyre both 17, give mike wheeler curly hair, mike and el have been broken up for some time, storm shenanigans, theres not much exposition its just a Look Into The Lives, this was written at 3am please spare me, will has still moved away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 11:12:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19811107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knux/pseuds/knux
Summary: when will byers drives down from maine for the first time in weeks, mike's not gonna let this chance run through his fingers.





	i went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed

It was storming like the world was about to end, thunder crashing, whirlwinds threatening to uproot the trees, and rain pouring onto the earth with the force of hail. Every few seconds, a bolt of bright lightning would light up the sky only to be followed by the echoing clamor of one hundred elephants galloping in the streets.

So, naturally, they were going to the pool. 

Their laughter rang in the air, a pleasant noise occasionally drowned out by the deafening thunder overhead. Mike stumbled ahead with Will close behind him. It was honestly a blind run. Mike had found a shortcut through the woods earlier that week, but it was so damn dark now that neither of them could see a thing. After a while, Mike stopped. He turned to Will with his eyebrows furrowed before whipping this way and that, sending droplets of water onto his friend.

Will raised a hand to shield his face and protested, half jokingly and half annoyed. “Are you looking for something? Before you fucking spray me with your bangs again, do you need any help?”

Mike let out a huff and ran his hands through his hair. It went right back to sticking to his forehead in the rain. “No, no, I’m fine. I just–There!”

The taller boy seemed to point in a direction with his entire body. “Take my hand. I know where we are now.” 

“Wait, wh–”

But before Will could ask, Mike had snatched his hand and started running again. Will jolted forward with a yelp. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to keep his legs from slipping out from under him. 

They raced around in the woods for another ten or so minutes, but soon a light could be seen in the not-so-far distance (like a lighthouse in the middle of the sea, Will thought). Mike called out shortly after with a giddy howl.

“The pool light! That’s the one they keep on after closing!”

They approached the gate wheezing and drenched. It was only then that Will noticed that Mike had laced their fingers together. His eyes widened, and he felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. Wow, he felt hot all of a sudden.

“Hey, you alright?” As soon as Will had gotten to savor it, Mike dropped his hand. “Hope you’re not pussying out on me this far in, babe. It’d be a shitty walk home.”

 _Babe_? Will snapped out of his daydream, no, trance and grabbed onto the metal fence. “Fuck no! I survived the Upside Down, Michael. No way in hell I’m too scared to hop a fence.”

He climbed it almost effortlessly and shot Mike a shiteating grin once he dropped down on the other side. Mike hopped over seconds later. There was nothing more thrilling to two 17 year old boys than sneaking into a public pool at night. Oh, the Scandal. The Crime!

Thunder still roared overhead as Mike tossed his bag into the doorway of the locker room (he didn’t want it wet, as if it wasn’t already soaked) and wandered over towards the pool’s edge. He peeled off his drenched shirt, half-heartedly throwing it behind his head. He put his hands on his hips and glanced towards Will, who had been frozen still by some force this entire time. Mike cracked a shiteating grin akin to Will’s before turning to face him completely.

“You jumping in first, or shall I do the honors, baby?”

 _Baby_? What the hell? Was this even real, or was it some elaborate hallucination put on by the otherworldly forces that lurk below? If the latter, why would the trap be his childhood best friend holding his hand and calling him pet names? Will swallowed hard. Shit, he knew why. He must have had a Look on his face because Mike was tapping his foot expectantly. How long had he been riding this train of thought again?

“Is it too cold? I thought you’d be immune to cold by now due to your,” he cleared his throat dramatically, “old friend, the Mind Flayer. He liked it cold, didn’t he?”

“Oh, shut the _fuck_ up, Mike.”

Will spat his name jokingly, tossing his own shirt behind him and approaching the pool’s edge. He pretended to study it for a heartbeat, but he turned and lunged to push Mike into the pool. Much to his surprise, however, Mike was ready, and he stepped out of the way in time for Will to lose his balance and, with a bellowing “Damnit!”, fall into the cold water. 

He breached the surface and scrambled to pull himself half onto the ledge. “I can’t believe you!” Will feigned betrayal. “How could you do this to me?” The act fell apart as he grinned up at his cackling best friend. Once Mike stopped laughing, he wiped his eyes and leaned down, extending a lanky arm.

“Need a lift, Will the Wise?”

Will let out a resigned sigh and grabbed onto Mike’s hand. But, as karma willed, Will quickly pulled downwards, throwing Mike off balance and headfirst into the pool with a familiar, betrayed shriek. As Mike burst out of the water, he tried to lunge for the other. He screamed like a banshee.

“You survived the Upside Down, you survived the Mind Flayer, but what you’re not gonna fucking survive is my hands around your neck, jackass!”

“Oh really? Real–”

A sudden, booming clap of thunder made Will freeze mid-sentence. Instead, he leapt into Mike’s strangling arms. Mike caught him.

“You scared?”

“Wh–” Will started, a sneer on the edge of his voice, before he turned his head and noticed the genuine concern on Mike’s face. He relaxed slowly, guiding himself to lean back against the ledge of the pool. Mike stayed close.

“I’m fine. I just don’t wanna be found deep-fried in this pool in the morning by some poor lifeguard. Picture the headline: boy who miraculously survived hundred foot drop into lake not so lucky years later.”

Will dramatically gestured to the sky as he spelled out the headline, a goofy smile on his face. He waited for Mike’s laughter, but when he didn’t hear anything over the sound of rain hitting the pool surface, he turned his head with his brow furrowed in confusion. Was it not funny? Did it hit a sensitive nerve? Did it–Oh.

Mike was looking at him in a way Will could only describe as the way he would… as the way he would look at _El_ when they were younger. He immediately softened, whispering a small ‘oh’ as he allowed himself a cursory glance at Mike’s lips.

“Right, I…” Mike trailed off, running a hand through his drenched hair. Probably a nervous tic. “I dragged you out here to tell you that I, well, I’ve never actually felt like this and when you last left it just clicked so I had to tell you and I’m sorry it took this long but I–”

Will cut _him_ off for once. “Oh my god, I thought I was going fucking in _sane_.” 

Will reached over to cup Mike’s cheek with his left hand and didn’t hesitate when he kissed him. Mike sighed into the kiss, pulling away shortly after to rest his forehead gently on Will’s. 

“‘S been too long. Waited too many years for this,” Mike softly laughed as he tenderly kissed Will again.

“ _You_ think so?”

Mike smiled in response to Will’s playfully accusatory tone. About that time, another crack of thunder sounded overhead. Will shivered. Mike lifted himself out of the pool and reached to give Will his hand, but he shrunk back right before Will could reach him.

“You’re not gonna pull me back in, right?”

Will gasped in fake offense. “Why the hell would I want to do that to my _boyfriend_?”

“That’s the ticket, Will the Wise.” Mike lifted the surprisingly lighter boy out of the pool with ease.

They hurried into the locker room once a flash of lightning seemed to strike nearby. “Brought towels,” Mike murmured, tossing Will a somehow bone-dry towel that had been inside of his now-dripping bag. As the two dried themselves as well as they could manage, Will slowly looked up at Mike. Wait a fucking minute.

“When did your hair start getting so curly?”

Mike froze.

“Mike… wait, do you straighten your hair?” Will’s voice was shaky. He was barely containing his amusement.

A tired sigh came Will’s boyfriend.

“Nancy’s been straightening it since I was 10. I didn’t like how hard it was to manage back then, and she never stopped, so…”

“Oh my god.”

“If you’re going to make fun of me, then–”

Will took a few steps to cup Mike’s face tenderly with both hands, effectively shutting him up mid-sentence. “No, no, I think it’s sweet.” He reached one hand to rest on the back of the other’s neck, and, understanding the cue, Mike leaned down to kiss him again. Will’s fingers rose to run through Mike’s damp curls, earning a soft nibble to his bottom lip. As the kiss broke, Will’s hands slowly removing themselves from the other’s face, Mike turned to the closed door. It was quiet. No thunder, no flash of lightning, no flood-causing rain. 

As he was thinking about it, Will slid his fingers between Mike’s and rested his forehead on his shoulder.

“‘S not raining anymore. You ready to go, baby?” 

Will responded with a low murmur into his shoulder, to which Mike smiled. They exited the locker room quietly, pleasantly, and were greeted by the night’s calm majesty. The sky was completely clear. The chirping of crickets and frogs had seamlessly replaced the hissing and snarling of the storm. The two stood in awe for a few moments before Mike spoke up again with a softness that would now be reserved for just Will.

“Let’s go home, yeah? Together.”


End file.
